A little digging has provided some depth into the personality of the only person in this tragedy who is left standing.
This is Kellie Ballew, girlfriend of Fred Cooper, and lover of Steve Andrews, as she testifies in Cooper’s trial.
“Kellie Ballew, a former Bonita Springs resident, grieves in her own way. There’s a page devoted to her on myspace.com.
Several emails released show Steven was making plans to divorce his wife to be with his mistress. The two exchanged emails in a similar fashion to instant messaging. The night of the murder Ballew wrote, “I can’t wait till we can be in our own home and not have to sneak out to be with each other.” At 10:28 p.m. Steven wrote back one final time, “I keep thinking about you. Talk soon.”
But, the person who created the Kellie page — if it is indeed Ballew — admits she’s not looking for a man. She’s found one. But, she is looking for friends.
A search of “Kellie Ballew” on myspace.com produces the page and a disturbing title: “Luv to get dirty.” Quite amazing, considering Ballew held the key to a love triangle that shocked Southwest Florida.
Ballew admitted to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office that she was romantically involved with Andrews, a married co-worker at Outdoor Productions in Bonita Springs. Ballew even admitted that she had sex with Andrews in the office the night he was killed in his home. Ballew broke off her relationship with Cooper because of Andrews.
The Sheriff’s Office’s theory is that Cooper went into a jealous rage, shooting Andrews in the head and then beating his wife.
Since the deaths and arrest, Ballew has moved to the Orlando area.
The picture on the Web page is definitely of Ballew (a former friend with an emphasis on former has confirmed it). Two e-mails to Kellie from the Daily News via the Web page have been read but there have been no replies.
But the page with the photo of Kellie, sporting a fresh bleached blond hairdo, sends a message calling out for new friends on myspace.com.
The personal blurb on the page reads: “I am a 26-year-old female, born and raised in Central Florida. I enjoy hanging with friends, family and most of all my 5 year old pride and joy! I have been working in Management and Accounting for 7 years and when I‘m not crunching numbers or spending time with the fam you can usually find me party hopping somewhere around Orlando with my friends. My motto – “Live life to the fullest, party hard and don‘t be afraid to get a little dirty along the way.“‘
Click on the Kellie Web site and the intentions are plainly heard. The Gretchen Wilson song, “Here for the Party” starts playing and the lyric, “Gonna get a little crazy just because I can,” rings loud.
There also are some interesting pictures on the Kellie site. There’s one of Kellie in a black bikini in front of the stove with the title, “How my honey likes me to make dinner….humm.”
And just who is her new beau?
He’s a hunky fireman. How appropriate. No, she’s not too hot to handle. But she certainly needs someone to extinguish the still smoldering flames from her previous relationships.
Kellie apparently is burning a new trail and making new friends along the way.”
On April 11, 2006, Hanson reported that the My Space website for Kellie had disappeared about a day after the above was in the paper.
The website with Ballew’s picture on it was created on February 27, 2006, exactly two months after Steven and Michelle Andrews were murdered.
On October 18, 2008, the following from an Orlando paper:
“One of the most high-profile murder cases in history just ended in a hung jury, which will be retried, over the guilt of the accused, former Orlando resident Fred Cooper. Current Orlando resident Kellie Ballew is a major player as she was having an affair with Steven Andrews and fighting with Michelle Andrews, a married couple who were murdered in their home during the early hours of December 27th 2005.
“It was Kellie Ballew who pointed the Lee County Sheriff’s Office toward her live-in lover Fred Cooper, who is the father of their child Carly.
“Ms. Ballew and her fiance Joey Crisp, a used cars salesman, now live in Orlando and are planning on getting married on January 3, 2009 in Orlando.”
Don’t know what happened to the fireman mentioned in April, 2006.
This one is just waiting to be made into a Lifetime movie.
Here’s Fred Cooper in court during his trial.
New trial is set for February 17, 2009, in a new venue — Pinellas County.
can i just finish my waffle? 
I don’t think I need to say how much her bad taste is reflected in her creating such a crass web page like that a mere two months after the Matthews were murdered. I had my suspicions of her being anything of “a catch” given her choice of a partner for 6-1/2 years, Fred Cooper. If looks are any indicator, he looked like a loser to me. Raising a daughter for all those years and not marrying? It shows something was not kosher in their relationship. I think she wasn’t paying attention when she insisted that Fred didn’t know about her affair with Steven. How did she think Cooper knew to mention that particular song? Who did she think had deleted her and Steven’s messages to each other? It’s even more of a tragedy to think that the Matthews died because of Cooper’s volatility and Kellie’s stupidity. And she’s gone through two other guys already? I pity her daughter.
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The Andrews home on the morning of December 27,2005, was a circus tent. Does not look like law enforcement was trained in responsibility, unity or respect. Every single statement from involved officers, is contradicting of each other.
The prosecutions witnesses are stumbling and vauge.
To make facts clear, the fireman, and used car salesman, are one in the same.
Fred Cooper looks like an average working man with a child to me. I was paying attention and remember from her friend Claudias statement, moments after Fred called to tell her about the Andrew’s demise, Kellie suggested Fred did it, and even asked him. The cell phone suggestion is her word ONLY. Was not proved in court. They can, and just might prove that her suggestions are unfounded.
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I don’t know what the dilema is with the DNA at the scene. Some was Steve’s, some Fred’s and some inconclusive, just because Fred’s wasn’t in the bed doesn’t mean he didn’t do it.
This is not a suicide, SOMEONE killed them so SOMEONE got lucky by not leaving DNA. So why not Fred.
Sorry, he was to robotic and lacked serious emotion. GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!!!
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I just can’t believe that people like Kellie Ballew don’t think that they should share some of the responsibility of what happened. I understand that people don’t always stay in love forever, but if she had any respect for herself, her child, or even her ‘lover’ she would have done the right thing and waited until Steven Andrews had divorced. It just sickens me how people are so self absorbed that they think that whatever they do is fine, who cares who it hurts? Fred Cooper had no right to kill or hurt anyone (if he is the one that did it) but if not for the actions of Kellie and Steven, this never would have happened. I hate home wreckers, which is exactly what Kellie Ballew is…I hope she teaches her daughter better than what she has done herself
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How does anyone know that she wasn’t in on it? Maybe Steve was stringing her along. Had no plans to divorce his wife. There are men that do this all the time. A little play on the side and still loves his family. Sad but true. The poor baby is the saddest. They didn’t live their lives responsibly and with even a moral fiber.3 Now they are all gone gone.
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I think Kelli killed them. Steve probably told her he was not going to divorce his wife and she lost it. That’s why Michelle got the beating and the worst of the violence. She is the one the killer was really after.Just staged to look like a rape to make cops think it was a man. She was more than happy to point the finger at Kevin. If it was Kevin which I do not believe it was why would he kill Michelle and beat her so bad? They were friends talking about their signifficant others cheating on them. He would have no reason to kill her she did nothing to her. It was Kelli. After they had sex he told her he would not get divorced. She then followed him home and killed them both. It’s the only thing that makes sence. That’s why Michelle took the worst of it. she was the intended victim.
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I have had the same thoughts.
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Oh I forgot the DNA evidence.Kevin and Michelle had spent time together. If she was crying on his shoulder or something like that that;s where the DNA could have come from. As for it being under her nails they could have been together earlier that day doing something or the police or lad could have contaminated that evidence like they did the rest of it.
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I thought the DNA was less than compelling. I have wondered a lot about this case. It was on Trutv for the first trial but I have not seen it on for this last one. The most puzzling part to me is the vicious attack on Michelle and as you said she seemed to be the target. I didn’t see anything come out that Fred had any hatred of her, but admittedly, there are lots of things that don’t come out in the trial.
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TruTv did a horrible job with names, and fact’s. I did hear that Dateline wants to interview Fred Cooper. They did the TruTv right after, and just before the 2nd trial. I believe the last’s posts are aware the target seemed to be Michelle. The law seemed to never doubt Kelli at all, and she even got a little chumey with a few. What didn’t come out in trial can be blabbed in appeal. Guess we shall see.
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The whole walks….end of story….
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